The army and gamers.

[CoverYourHead]

So I was thinking about the U.S. army and their plan to advertise on Second-Life and I got around to wondering: Would any of you join the military?

I myself am confronted by the U.S. military and often on advertisements on gaming websites, yet I find this to be a slightly odd choice of venue for the military. I have played many a war shooter and even on an easy difficulty where my character can take countless shots to various vital organs or stand on a grenade and still come out of it fine, I die. I myself would never join the military because I highly doubt I would survive a real battle with my current record in my favorite shooter.

Would any of you join the military with what you've seen of war in gaming? Is the military wasting their time advertising to gamers?

 

[WolfThomas]

I'm an Australian, so its a little different.

Well I'm currently studying medicine at university and for a longtime, I'd thought about becoming a doctor in the army (Australian), then I when realised they barely teach you anything and rarely sends you over seas. So I decided against it. But however if I was a fully trained surgeon, anesthetist, etc. and there was a significant war (WW2 or Korea sized) I'd probably join up.

But the whole point of this would be to reverse the damage done by enemy combatants rather then cause it.

But two of my very good friends are in the army, ones a trained rifleman and the others in training to be a rifleman. So yeah they haven't been discouraged by video games, but similarly I don't think video games were the reason they joined.

 

[Haliwali]

NAVY SEALS! Joining as soon as I graduate high school.

 

[rottenbutter]

I myself am confronted by the U.S. military and often on advertisements on gaming websites, yet I find this to be a slightly odd choice of venue for the military. I have played many a war shooter and even on an easy difficulty where my character can take countless shots to various vital organs or stand on a grenade and still come out of it fine, I die. I myself would never join the military because I highly doubt I would survive a real battle with my current record in my favorite shooter.

You know that, I know that, the military knows that, but the people the military are trying to recruit, don't.

As for weather, or not, I'll join:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I will not join any military, unless I get a giant fucking mech-suit.

 

[xitel]

I may be tempted to join by one thing. If they reinstate the draft here, I will join the army. They'll pay for my college, plus I could try to get into a non-front line position.

 

[Ronwue]

If it's anything wars in gaming have taught us, is that a shitlot of people die in wars (if nothing else). And let's take the bullets to vital organs and grenades aside, you may actually be on the loosing side (which usually tends to suck). There hasn't been a FPS game out there yet, which takes the German side of the war and plays through it till the Russians hang the flag on top of the Riechstad (spellcheck). And as Yahtzee says it, firing a gun in a game and firing a gun in real life are as far apart as you could get.

So long story short, I would not join the army for any reasons, and I'm not really a pacifist. I simply like my life too much to get killed cause some big wig said so.

 

[black lincon]

I really don't have any need or reason to join the military. Some people join for college scholarships, I don't need them, I just take student loans. Some join because their in a military family, I'm not, my family's on the liberal side. And the biggest of all, some people are fit enough to join the military, I definitely am not.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

I'd rather not, but hey, the benefits are good, so maybe I will, I got a few years to decide anyway.

 

[BigKingBob]

I'm probably not cut out for a front line role, but I'm good with people and I've always had an eye for tactics so I've been considering joining one of the forces for a while but either as an officer or an intelligence bloke.

MI6 looks like a whole lot of fun though, and you only need a 2,2 and a drivers license to join...

 

[TMAN10112]

I think I would make a good soldier, since I'm already a good marksman. but unless there are tanks rolling down my street i'm not gona join the army.

 

[Pseudonym2]

Well, at least it's not as bad as when the Army bought product placement in Marvel comic books.

Being serious, I would never join my military to die, or even worse kill, for rich men's oil. If there was war like WWII and the army lowered their standards, maybe. But that's unlikely to happen

 

[fluffylandmine]

I've considered it.

For me it's Dev-ing or officer academy in the marines.

 

[CrafterMan]

Meh. I'm ex-airforce (but it was The New Zealand Airforce), I can't say I enjoyed it.

But I didn't like the people who were in with me, the whole "one of the bro's" idea puts me off the military.

I love being part of a team, but not like that. I felt uncomfortable.

The training is great though.

Just really think about where you want to be in the future and ask heaps of questions.

-Joe

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

NAVY SEALS! Joining as soon as I graduate high school.

Good luck.(Highly doubt you will get withen a mile of it, Navy Seals are about as elite as you can go.)

Like others said, I would not join the army until WWIII. Charlie Wilsons war anyone? I woudn't mind being somebody like Gus.

 

[Raven28256]

NAVY SEALS! Joining as soon as I graduate high school.

Good luck.(Highly doubt you will get withen a mile of it, Navy Seals are about as elite as you can go.)

...Sorry to burst your bubble, but he is right. Your chances of even being CONSIDERED for POSSIBLY having a shot at just the TRAINING regime are next to nothing. And when you get to the training, you must remember that most of the people there won't even get halfway through before wiping out, and even if you DO manage to get through training, that isn't even a guarantee that you will get picked. You might make it through the training and STILL get rejected. Also, it isn't just physical training. The physical training is already extremely tough, but you also have to go through intense mental training. You might be capable of doing 1 million push ups without getting tired and still fail miserably because you don't have the mind for the job. It isn't just about being able to rappel down cliffs and shoot a rifle; you also have to have a high IQ and be able to think on your feet, to think through and make modifications to a strategy quickly based on a limitless number of "what if?" scenarios.

Not trying to discourage you...Just saying, you need to be fully aware that the special forces aren't just about shooting a bunch of terrorists with your M4, and the road to getting there is one that less than 1% of the people that apply for it are able to finish.

Anyway, I've considered joining the US Army. Actually, I want to. No, it doesn't have anything to do with video games. I grew up in a pretty "go military" family. I have a lot of relatives who were in various branches of the military. Strangely enough, we aren't Republicans, so don't give me the "lol u voted for Dubayah" crap. It mostly stems from the fact that my father's side of the family is Italian...And they came to America to escape fascism in Europe leading up to a certain little war you guys might know a thing or two about. My grandfather, who is old enough to remember seeing fascism firsthand, always preached to us how we should be proud of America and proud of the freedoms we enjoy...Because his family knows what it was like to live under a regime that doesn't permit the rights we take advantage of on a daily basis. I grew up in a family that spent a lot of time going to veterans clubs in my early years. When you grow up surrounded by the stuff I did, joining the military sounds like it would be a good experience, despite the risks involved.

I have grandfathers (plural) that are veterans of Korea, my uncle flew Tomcats in the Navy, one of my cousins is an Iraq War veteran, my girlfriend's brother is an Iraq War veteran, her father was a Marine and veteran of Desert Storm, I have quite a number of other friends who are Iraq War veterans, I have other family members who are veterans of Vietnam, one of my cousins REALLY wants to become an F-22 pilot when he graduates next year, his brother is downright DETERMINED to get into US Army Special Forces. Myself, I want to be in armored cavalry. Doesn't really matter if it is the Marines or the Army, so long as I get to work with a hulking, 60 ton M1 Abrams tank. However, the reason why I can't be in the military is because I have IBS, a chronic illness that could affect my performance. Therefore, I can't join; my IBS still causes problems. I have to watch what I eat, and that isn't possible when you are deployed and must live off of MREs.

So, the closest I can get to military service is video games...And it isn't particularly because I chose it, it is because I can't.

 

[Mean Mother Rucker]

There are those that this will appeal to.
However, to most who are glued to either our coaches or office chairs in which we use our computers will think about for a moment. Then dismiss it with a flick of the wrist as we continue our monotonous lives.
I believe that the military would be an educational experience of sorts, and would enjoy joining the military, but I'm a freshman in hs, so saying this preemptively is as close to nothing as I can get.

 

[asiepshtain]

You guys seem to think that "Shooting people" is the only thing an army needs people for. The army needs lots of people form cooks to map-makers. And in this day and age, people who understand technology, seems logical to advertise in computer games.

 

[bkd69]

I myself am confronted by the U.S. military and often on advertisements on gaming websites, yet I find this to be a slightly odd choice of venue for the military. I have played many a war shooter and even on an easy difficulty where my character can take countless shots to various vital organs or stand on a grenade and still come out of it fine, I die. I myself would never join the military because I highly doubt I would survive a real battle with my current record in my favorite shooter.

That's what training is for.

As for the appropriateness of advertising in gaming venues:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20081211.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htcbtsp/articles/20081209.aspx

And to answer your question, have served.

wish I could but I'm not a US citizen. There goes my dream.

Actually, we're not that picky.
Go to the consulate. You might not be able to get a security clearance, but then, not every job requires one.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

The day an actual army invades the US, then I will join up, or perhaps engage in guerilla tactics.

 

[Mnemophage]

I'm Canadian, female, out of shape and halfway to blind. If the army absolutely needs every man they can get, then they can get better bodies than me.